


You Won't Die

by SausageBaby



Series: Death And Dying [1]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: AND ALSO HEADCANON THAT IRKENS DONT NEED TO BREATHE AIR A, Angst, Heavy Angst, M/M, Outer Space, and the events leading up to this is purposely vague so have fun guessing or theorizing! :), please help me this is my first time and i, theyre both already in a relationship, this is my first time posting on ao3 and i have no idea what im doing or what to tag this lmao!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 16:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20854970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SausageBaby/pseuds/SausageBaby
Summary: This is a story about unfamiliarity, lying and helplessness.





	You Won't Die

**Author's Note:**

> HAHA GOOD LUCK FUCKERS

Zim is tempted to just reach up and tear off Dib's stupid glasses, the annoying red light that comes packaged with the blaring alarm is already aggravating on it's own, but then the bright red beam glints off of the human's glasses and directly into his eyes. It's like he's being double-teamed by two lights and he's quickly reaching the end of his patience.

But he doesn't. He just sits there, his shoulders slack and his eyes wide as he watches the scrolling message over his entire windshield. Their oxygen tanks were obliterated. Which is okay for Zim, he doesn't need them. But Dib, and his stupid glasses, and his stupid human lungs... The glasses are unrelated to his need to breathe, they're just still annoying the irken.

"Zim? What does that say?" His voice is meek, an unfamiliar tone for Dib, of which Zim didn't like. Sounds too... _scared_.

The mentioned alien is quiet for some time, one of his antennae twitch towards Dib at his words, showing that he did indeed hear him and is just ignoring him. What a betrayal of his own anatomy.

Eventually he rips his stare from the screen to instead study Dib's face; his brows furrow and his mouth is set in a tight, nervous frown. He also hates this unfamiliar look, still too **scared**. Fear didn't befit Dib at all. It looks ugly on him, even.

He preferred when he looked relieved. But it seems this expression won't be arriving anytime soon: "It's informing me of the damage to our oxygen supply." And just as expected, Dib jolts backwards, eyes widening and the corners of his lips drawing backwards.

"_What?_"

"You heard me. Don't be so dramatic." Zim rushes to wave off his shock and worry, he turns back to the control panel of his ship, suddenly there's so many buttons and switches, and suddenly he forgets which each one does or what he should be doing. So instead he looks down at his own lap. His lap didn't have a face to stare at him in worry nor any garish bright red light to scream into his face with.

"Can- It-" Dib sputters, he runs a hand through his hair, looking around the ship frantically but uselessly. "How much do we- When- The oxygen, when will it run out?"

He cringes at this question, he wished he had asked anything else, but he's not surprised. "A couple minutes at most, it has sustained considerable damage." He doesn't dare watch whatever new reaction this derives from Dib.

"A couple minutes..." He blankly repeats, Zim was expecting an outburst, denial, anything but such a calm repeat. He hated it, he hates all of this. This shouldn't be happening. "When- Can we get back to earth? Or- Or another planet with air?" He jumps back into further questioning, lurching over to grip onto the edge of the pilot seat.

"All planets in our radius that harbor breathable oxygen are over ten minutes away." Zim calmly states, his hands ball into tight fists at his sides, but he doesn't move an inch other than that.

"**_WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!_**" Dib finally bursts, moving from gripping the chair to instead grip Zim's shoulders, any other time this would probably receive a flailing attack of limbs from the other, but he just lets Dib do it. And that alone off-put Dib even more than Zim's current calm and even words.

But he, at the very least, receives a grimace and scowl from the glaring alien. "Because there's nothing to worry about, you stupid earth-worm!" The confusion that overtakes Dib's previous fear and worry is something Zim could handle much better. "Zim never said _all_ of our oxygen supplies were completely destroyed! Just our current tank. Once the tank is emptied, it will automatically be replaced with a new and completely full tank. Of which we only have one left, so I'm setting course to the closest planet- eleven minutes away- but other than that you'll be fine. Now stop freaking out, it's **annoying**." He hisses, grinding his teeth together to punctuate this.

Dib lets out a long heavy sigh of relief and slumps onto the floor and against the nearest wall of the ship, raising a hand to run over his face, then he shoots his own glare to rival Zim's own. "_Why didn't you lead with that?_"

"I liked seeing you squirm." A smirk touches Zim's face, he eyes Dib carefully, then he looks back to the control panel. He cringes at it, briefly fiddles with something that results in a soft ding, but the horrid red alarm stubbornly refuses to leave the screen. But Zim doesn't linger long enough to bother with it and instead slides out from the pilot seat and nears Dib, stopping just short in front of him.

The human offers him a confused look, another look to the abandoned seat, then back up to the alien. "Okay... Shouldn't you go check out the damage, though?"

"It's fine." Zim mutters simply and dismissively.

Dib frowns, but he doesn't try further in favor of worrying over a new realization as he raises a hand to grip his head. "I'm feeling dizzy..." He murmurs.

"That would be the lack of air." Zim chuckles and he approaches the spot next to Dib and sits down at his side, this draws an even further look of confusion from him.

Dib seems to fight briefly over what question to ask, but eventually settles on murmuring with a slight tremor in his voice. "But you said...?"

Zim reaches out and places a hand on Dib's leg, a tender gesture, something so unlike the invader. "I said that when the tank runs out it will be automatically replaced. Which means there'll be an interval in which there'll be no air. But it won't last for long."

A groan tumbles from the taller's lips and he leans against Zim, he decides not to let his mind busy itself over the confusion of Zim's sudden closeness and gentleness that's been pulled out of nowhere to instead complain: "Tired... I'm tired."

"You will black out for a few spare seconds, now lay down so you don't hit that big fat head of yours when you inevitably do." Zim explains, tugging on the collar of Dib's coat. And with little air in his lungs and a foggy mind, Dib doesn't fight against it and just lays down on the floor, his head finding it's way to Zim's lap.

"Not big..." He murmurs, he tries to muster a glare up to Zim, but the other's expression is neutral and calm. Dib notes how odd it is. And also notes to mention it after this damn ship is filled with new air again.

"You keep telling yourself that, Dib." The human expected some sort of insult to follow after his name, but; nothing.

"I'm..." Dib begins, but he can't get any farther than that, speaking now demanding more air than he had.

"You're just going to fall unconscious, stop worrying." Zim grumbles, frowning down at the weak thing in his lap. He hates how Dib is acting, so helpless and weak, so scared and worried. It was so unlike him. He somehow missed his annoying usual self.

"You won't die."

Those words echo into Dib's head infinitely, his heavy eyelids win over him and he lets them close, his mind slowly turning more static over words, but Zim's voice still rises above all else.

"You won't die." Zim repeats, and he lays a hand on top of Dib's head, letting his fingers tangle into his messy hair. He doubts Dib is even aware of the touch at this point.

"You won't die." Again, he reassures. His voice is so gentle, it felt unfamiliar even in Zim's own throat.

Dib's body stills, a long moan of a breath escapes his mouth, but without an inhale.

He's still.

The alarm washes the floor in it's bright red flickering light, Dib's glasses glinting it into Zim's eyes.

With a shaky hand, a tremble he couldn't suppress even if he tried, Zim slips the glasses from Dib's head and places it on the floor next to him. Tears muddle Zim's vision and he tries to sniff them back but like everything else in this situation: he couldn't help it. And soon large blobs of pink tears stream down his face and stain Dib's cheek.

His claws dig, then grip Dib's hair; a death-hold that promises to not be released. He lets out a breathless cry that produces no noise, it rattles his small frame as he drags the limp body up to his chest, desperately gripping it. He's overtaken by an avalanche of intangible emotions and unspoken cries and jumbled thoughts, he couldn't even begin to piece together what's happening to his mind, his emotions, and even his body. 

This all was so unlike him. So unlike Dib. So unlike Zim.

The ding of the notification that they had reached the planet they were heading towards is what clues Zim in on how long he sat with the limp body that he had repeatedly lied to.

"_You won't die._"


End file.
